I haven't bought anything from Lush for a hot minute, not because I love them any less but because what little money I do have I've been putting into other things. But as I've suffered badly with my depression through the first half of February I decided to treat myself a little. I get asked about my love of Lush since I opened wiccatree, for those of you not in the know I run my own Etsy shop that sells Bath Magick products which you can check out here if you are interested (shameless, shameless plug there Ella). But as I've said before wiccatree focuses on the intent behind the product and the ingredients in it to magickally benefit the user, making Lush and wiccatree are two very different things so I don't feel like I'm supporting the "competition" when I buy from Lush. Plus they are a great company as companies go. Anyway here is what I treated myself to this time.

Love Boat Bath Bomb

This is the only product I've tried before out of this haul, it's an exclusive Valentines Day bath bomb that was introduced last year and brought back for this year. It's a really pretty bomb that smells citrus-y and fruity. Both times I've tried this bomb it's capsized so fingers crossed that that doesn't happen this time.

Aubergine Bath Bomb

A phallic shaped bath bomb? Obviously I was going to buy it! This is another Valentines Day exclusive that Lush have introduced this year and I'm pleasantly surprised how much I like the scent. It's sweet and fruity but very fresh as well, so it's not overpowering, I'm excited to see what a dick, sorry aubergine, bath bomb looks like in the water.

Peachy Bath Bomb

So this bath bomb smells like peaches, surprise, surprise and I'm not normally too keen on peach scents but it looks like a butt, so again, I was obviously going to buy it. Peachy is another Valentines Day exclusive that Lush have introduced this year. It is a very very strong peach scent that I'm finding a bit too much when I smell it but I'm hoping it might be less strong when it hits the water.

Plum Rain

Die hard Lush fans will probably be very shocked to hear that I've never tried Plum Rain before as it is a fan favourite. But I was looking for a new shower gel as Spring is on the way and I fancied a bit of a change so I bought a small bottled version to try out and then I'll move on to a bigger naked version if I like it. I would love to tell you that I didn't buy this mainly for the colour but I'd be lying, the gel is a gorgeous dark purple and I love me some purple. However, when this arrived and I smelt it I was really happy, it's a very fruity plum scent that I think will be great for Spring.

Yes, these products are mainly from the Valentines Day collection but I wanted to try them out. I'm excited to see if I like them all and treating myself to lots of baths!

I hope you enjoyed this post, have you treated yourself to some Lush products recently? What was your favourite product from my haul?

I love anime and have done since a young age, this statement is often met with one of two reactions. One, a complete disbelieve (because no one who identifies as a woman could possibly like anime), or two, a kind of disdain as liking anime must mean that I am sort of weird freak.

A lot of people (particularly in the West) have a narrow minded opinion of anime, that it's cartoons for sad, lonely, perverted men and have no artistry to them. Although the tide does seem to be turning and more and more people are realising how wide the genres of anime are, how beautiful they can be and how much work and art goes into making them.

As I said, the amount of genres of anime is as wide as it is for live action films. Today I'm going to be focusing on anime that I find feel good, the anime that help put a smile on my face when I'm not feeling my best.

Probably the most well known anime on this list so I thought I would talk about this one first. Sailor Moon is one of the anime that helped thrust the genre into prominence in the West. Based on the manga by Naoko Takeuchi, the anime follows the story of Usagi, who discovers she is the Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon and has to protect the world from the Dark Kingdom. The anime follows Usagi as she goes through life looking for love, finding the other Sailor Scouts (Sailor Mars is Queen) and generally being a lovable dumb bitch. I'm specifically talking about the 90s anime (it had a reboot called Sailor Moon Crystal) the aesthetics are absolutely gorgeous, the themes of friendship and love are heartwarming and there's something so cathartic about someone shouting "Moon Prism Power, make up!!" and "Fire Soul" or "Supreme Thunder".

Dakichi is a bachelor with few cares until he attends his grandfather's funeral and meets the apparent illegitimate daughter of his grandfather, 6 year old Rin. Daikichi feels sorry for Rin so decides to take her in to his life and care for her. Daikichi is suddenly thrown into a world of responsibilities looking after a 6 year old who is also technically his aunt. The relationship between Daikichi and Rin is so lovely and really makes you appreciate family no matter how strange they may be.

Ah Ore Monogatari!! AKA a sweet sugary injection that makes you feel warm inside. Ore Monogatari!! broke the mould of romantic anime. The story features a hero that is not considered attractive and rather than following the main characters attempt to win the girl the anime follows the story of Takeo and Yamato and their relationship after they meet on a train and Takeo saves Yamato from a groper. The anime follows the pair as they go through life as a couple in their first relationships and it's wonderful. It's a gentle, funny, warming anime that always makes me feel so much better when I'm feeling down.

These are some of the anime that I consider feel good and really recommend if you are looking to watch something to cheer you up.

Do you like anime? What anime do you consider feel good?

Hello all! I hope you are having a great festive period. If you are having some kind of party on New Years or you are having some quality time with some loved ones you may be looking for cocktail recipes. I've been experimenting with cocktails ever since I've been old enough to drink (maybe a couple years before, but the least said about that the better). So I thought I would share with you 5 cocktail recipes that I really enjoy that you may want to try out.

A Dream Of Spring

If you are fed up with the cold weather and you are looking forward to some sunshine. Have a sip of this cocktail and you will be walking among a garden of roses on a warm spring day. It's a really refreshing cocktail and if you eat a cube of chocolate beforehand it tastes like you are drinking Turkish Delight.

For 1 cocktail you will need:

Three Ice Cubes

Two Slices Of Lime

Dash Of Lime Juice

1 Shot (42ml) Of Gin

1 Shot (42ml) Of Vodka

200 ml of Rose Lemonade

Classic Long Island Iced TeaThe old ones are the best ones. I've been a huge LIIT fan for a while now but a word of warning. It contains 4 different kinds of alcohol so please be careful! For 1 Cocktail you will need:Ice CubesLemon (or Lime) Slices28 ml of Vodka28ml of Rum28ml of Tequila 28ml of Gin28 ml of Lemon Juice 150ml of Coke

Spiced Cream

Not had enough desserts over the holidays? Well you can combine pudding and a cocktail with this drink. It's sweet but the cinnamon and nutmeg gives it a spicy kick which makes it perfect for the winter months.

For 1 cocktail you will need:

Crushed Ice

Dash Of Hazelnut Syrup

Two Scoops Of Vanilla Ice Cream

1 Shot (42ml) of Honey Jack Daniels

200ml of Milk

2 Shots (84ml) of Rum (light or dark it's up to you)

A Dash of Cinnamon

A Dash of Nutmeg

Whipped Cream (to decorate the top)

How to make:

Pour all ingredients in a blender, mix and then pour. Add cream to top.

Sloe-ly Does It

This is a sweet cocktail but the sloe gin gives a kick of warmth. It's fruity and almost like a punch so would be great for a party drink. Shout out to Dan for helping me come up with a pun based name for it.

For 1 Cocktail you will need:

3 Ice Cubes

2 Slices Of Lime

2 Slices Of Lemon

A Dash Of Grenadine

2 Shots (84ml) Of Sloe Gin

1 Shot (42ml) Of Tequila

200ml of Lemonade

Dash Of Lime Juice

Tequila Sunrise With A Twist This is just your old faithful tequila sunrise recipe but instead of adding grenadine, you just add grape juice. It makes the drink less sickly sweet and more fruity in my opinion, it brings out the tequila as well.For 1 cocktail you will need:Ice Cubes2 Shots Of Tequila 100 ml Orange Juice

100ml Grape Juice

These recipes are perfect for a party because they are so simple to make and you can make bigger quantities and put them into a pitcher so people can just pour how much they want.

I love having a drink on special occasions but there are many who don't or can't so please remember that and don't pressure anyone into drinking. Also if you are drinking have a great time but please take care and drink responsibly!

Did you like these cocktail recipes? What are some of your favourite cocktails?Not a sponsored post.

As the Winter Solstice is so close I thought I would share with you some of the traditions me and my family have for this special day. Midwinter is our most important celebration in my family and it is the time we all get together so it's always a lovely time of year for me.

Preparations like buying food, drink and presents will have started quite a while ago but I'll bring it to about a week before the day. So we will be baking, finishing up any homemade alcohol that is ready, there's two barrels of apple ale and my bottle of hedgerow vodka on the go while I'm writing this. We will go out a few days before the solstice and collect holly and ivy for the decorations. We don't buy a tree, we did use to but having a full tree in our house for the sole purpose of leaving it to die seemed wrong to us especially as our celebrations focus a lot on nature. Instead my Dad made a tree for us out of felled wood so instead we bring that down from the attic and fix it up a bit. Dan and I will have started our tradition of reading one stave each night of A Christmas Carol (my favourite book) to each other so that we read the last one on the night before the solstice.

On the day before the Solstice my Dad will be in the kitchen doing the preparations for the big lunch next day. So I will pop on some Christmas music (much to my Dad's despair but hey it's my guilty pleasure) and I will spend most of the day decorating the front room with the holly and ivy that we collected, fairy lights and candles.

Once the decorations are all finished with and the evening comes round we will have dinner which has become a tradition of having pizza and we will watch our first Christmas movie. It will be either the Nightmare Before Christmas or A Muppet Christmas Carol (then we will watch either one as our second movie). When we put on the second film we have one of my favourite traditions of having hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows. After the second film my Dad will bring out his gin punch which we all have a glass of while watching the 1971 animated version of A Christmas Carol starring Alastair Sim, if you haven't watched it you can find it on youtube here. It's a masterpiece and you should definitely watch it! Then we all go off to bed but like the child I am I am always too excited so I don't sleep well.

We wake up very early on the morning of the solstice and go for a drive up to the woods nearby and climb up to the pulpit to watch the sun rise, well I say watch the sun rise, it seems it's tradition for it to be too cloudy to see the sun. But the walk is just as special regardless. When we arrive home we crack open the Buck's Fizz and open a few presents,when we were younger it was tradition for my brother and I to argue with my mum about having a breakfast, she always wanted us to have one but D and I would refuse point black. It was up to my Dad to point out to my mum that we would be stuffing our faces later and not to worry.

At lunch we have the biggest roast dinner that man has ever known, we all sit around the table eating, drinking and laughing and generally having a great time. We will make toasts to anything happy that may have happened during the year, or to anyone we may have lost. We pull crackers, eat pudding, then put the table away. Afterwards we sit around full of food, opening gifts, playing cards, watching films and just being happy in each other's company.

For the days following we generally eat too much, drink too much , play games, watch films and have a nice time. Celebrating the Solstice instead of Christmas gets me a lot of weird looks and off comments but in actually how we celebrate is not that much different.

So no matter what you celebrate or don't celebrate I hope winter brings you all the best, happiness, love and peace and I'll see you again in the new year!!